R Praggnanandhaa Leaves Behind Javokhir Sindarov To Win St. Louis Rapid And Blitz Title

Published 7 August 2026 · india

News sports chess R Praggnanandhaa Leaves Behind Javokhir Sindarov To Win St. Louis Rapid And Blitz Title R Praggnanandhaa Leaves Behind Javokhir Sindarov To Win

News sports chess R Praggnanandhaa Leaves Behind Javokhir Sindarov To Win St. Louis Rapid And Blitz Title R Praggnanandhaa Leaves Behind Javokhir Sindarov To Win St. Louis Rapid And Blitz Title Published By, Last Updated: August 07, 2026, 11:03 IST R Praggnanandhaa won the Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz title with 23.5 points, securing his spot in the Grand Chess Tour finale. R Praggnanandhaa jumped to 2nd spot in the GCT rankings. (PTI Photo) R Praggnanandhaa delivered a commanding performance to clinch his maiden Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz title in a dominant display that saw him secure the championship with a round still remaining. The 20-year-old Grandmaster ended the event on 23.5 points, finishing comfortably ahead of Uzbekistan’s Javokhir Sindarov, who is among the players in contention for the upcoming world championship cycle. Praggnanandhaa‘s unbeaten finish on the final day of rapid and blitz action helped him make a major move in the Grand Chess Tour standings.

His victory lifted him to second place in the overall GCT rankings, putting him in a strong position to qualify for the season-ending Grand Finale later this year. He will need to maintain his momentum in the final tournament of the season, which will be played in the Classical format. Having edged out Sindarov to win the rapid section by a narrow margin, Praggnanandhaa showed remarkable consistency in the blitz. He suffered just one defeat and collected enough victories to finish with 11.5 points from a possible 18 in the final stage. Sindarov, who entered the blitz trailing the Indian by one full point after the rapid segment, finished second overall with 22 points. American Grandmaster Wesley So secured third place with 20 points. The Saint Louis triumph has significantly strengthened Praggnanandhaa’s position in the GCT race. His chances of reaching the Grand Finale will now depend on his performance in the final event, which begins this weekend.

The withdrawal of France’s Alireza Firouzja has also worked in Praggnanandhaa’s favour. Firouzja pulled out of the last two GCT events citing scheduling concerns, and under the pre-agreed rules, all points he had accumulated during the tour were removed. The Indian will now turn his attention to the Classical event beginning Sunday. A top-three finish there would add another major achievement to an already impressive year, following his victory at the Norway Classic where he finished ahead of Magnus Carlsen. Final standing: 1. R Praggnanandhaa (Ind, 23.5); 2. Javokhir SIndarov (Uzb, 22);3. Wesley So (Usa, 20.5); 4: Levon Aronian (Usa, 19) 5-7. Fabiano Caruana (Usa); Lenier Dominguez Perez (Usa), Jorden Van Foreest (Ned) 17 each; 8. Anish Giri (Ned, 15.5); 9. Vincent Keymer (Ger, 14.5) 10. Awonder Leong (Usa, 14). With PTI Inputs News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit About the Author Feroz Khan Feroz Khan has been covering sports for over 12 years now and is currently working with Network18 as Principal Correspondent.